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If the founder of the Wilentz Firm turned in a report on the Lindberg Case like his successor did for Westfield, Hauptman would have been found innocent.
ReplyDeleteAnother analogy, Mayor Brindle wants to trust her town administrator like the passengers of the Titanic trusted the captain of the ship. She thinks the ship is unsinkable even though her crew is telling her the ship is sinking.
ReplyDeleteThe Town Attorney has already stated that he consulted with the Prosecutor who wanted the Town to take care of the matter. What has now been sent to the Prosecutor?
ReplyDeleteIf the Town Attorney has already declared the wrongdoing found to be explicable, doesn't he contradict himself, not to mention the Town Administrator, by seeking a criminal investigation?
Does this new referral to the Prosecutor include an investigation into who hired the Wilentz Firm, what were the instructions given, and why the Firm was given records INCAPABLE of proving the charges? Since the Town was the "client", the Town could waive any privilege.
What happens if the Prosecutor finds theft? Would the Town be put into the same position it was in when the original charge was made? If the Prosecutor finds theft, won't it have to find that either Wilentz was incompetent or that it was misled? Then the Town will have to face the same problems it faced in the "hit and run" case. Is retirement and demotions a real exercise of truth and transparency or is it just convenient?
I'm sure you'll agree that the Prosecutor will investigate with the same thoroughness displayed in the Mountainside PD case and the "hit and run" case in Westfield. The result sought will be the result given.
It would seem obvious to the casual observer that when a Town submits a problem to the Prosecutor, the Town also "suggests" the results desired.It would also seem that the Prosecutor delivers what is desirable.
ReplyDeleteLook at how many months it took for the Prosecutor to pat Mountainside on the back for the way it handled the VIDEO evidence of PD impropriety.
Look at the inability of the Prosecutor to find any problems with the Westfield hit and run case which took place in a secure location to which only the police had access and about which a phony police report submitted.
What a track record!
The Town now has a claim of problems in the payroll records of Public Works.Does it call in the proper parties to confirm the charges or does it do exactly like its predecessor and fight?
The first thing it did was to try to discover the source of the information. Forget the problem. Find the source.
Next, attack the person reporting the problem.
Third, pass off the problem to a third party to validate everything.
The Prosecutor was bypassed in favor of a politically connected law f
irm, Wilentz. We don't know who chose Wilentz, but we do know they were sent payroll records INCAPABLE of proving theft during the time period about which complaint was made. Wilentz delivered a report saying that there was a problem but it was explained.
The Town Administrator then claimed there was no wrongdoing and attacked the reporter.
The Town Attorney, not reading from the same script, admitted there was wrongdoing but was explained.
When it was shown that the report could never prove theft because the records were for a different period, the Town Attorney backtracked.
When he previously said he had conferred with the Prosecutor, he indicated that that office wanted Westfield to handle it. Now the Prosecutor is investigating. What is it investigating? If the original charge, then hasn't the Town indicted and convicted itself of incompetence in its handling of the situation up to now?
Shouldn't the Town be asking the Prosecutor to investigate the decisions to hire Wilentz? Shouldn't the Town, as the client, waive privilege and tell Wilentz to divulge everything?
Shouldn't the Town find out who sent the wrong records to Wilentz and why their expensive services didn't include a correction of the records mistake?
When Westfield referred this matter to the Prosecutor, did it point out that a finding of criminality would be embarrassing?
Does anybody expect a finding embarrassing to this administration?
Each member of the Town Council promised truth and transparency when elected. That goes for the Republicans as well as the Democrats. Which one of them has opened his/her mouth to ask any questions about this matter?
So much for political promises made when running. The hard part is after you're elected and people remember what you said.
THAT WAS EXTREMELY WELL ARTICULATED!
ReplyDeleteIn the end Mr. Gildea needs to protect that six figure income. Let's not forget that Mr. Gildea gave himself a raise when people were taking pay cuts during the economic downturn awhile back. He sees the town through exactly the same eyes as those DPW employees...Westfield is a cash cow and they are entitled to take, take, take...
Mayor Brindle talked a great game to get elected! Now what? Congratulations, Mayor Brindle! You've been sucked into the system too!
3 words for everyone, Get A Life
ReplyDeleteWhen this is all said and done, you’ll need to “get another job.”
DeleteOvertime has to be budgeted and approved by the town administrator Jim Gildea “AND” DPW Supt. Greg O’Neil.
ReplyDeleteNot “OR”
Both should be held accountable for the theft of OT.
Just remember thieves. When the detective asks you a question. You might want to tell him the truth. Because you will get caught lying.
ReplyDeleteMight? Umm, have to tell him the truth. Lying to a Prosecutors investigator is a crime.
DeleteThe truth will set you free!
Own your mistakes boys.
ReplyDeleteThey won’t. The truth won’t set you free.. but it will be a less of a spanking if you tell the truth..
DeleteThe DPW employee who filed the grievance if he/she REALLY wants the TRUTH to come out they need to contact the Courier News, Star Ledger and other News outlets like Channel 2,4 7 and 11 to tell their story. You want to see action, you would see action IMMEDIATELY. Why in this day and age people are NOT just speaking publicly i do not understand. You are not going to lose your job you have a Union contract by which to stand behind and protect you. These Supervisors and Department Heads and your own Union Rep's who were involved need to be held accountable, they were not just STEALING from the Town and the Tax payers but they were Stealing from YOU the employee who has filed the Grievance and the other DPW employee's who may/should have gotten that Overtime. This is what UNIONS were developed for, "to protect the workers" if wrong doing's were happening. It is very clear from reading all of the comments that not ONLY the DPW employee who filed the grievance knows what was going on but so do MANY other DPW employee's, you ALL need to stand UNITED and SPEAK UP!!!
ReplyDelete